Water Fasting

By: Ron Lagerquist

"Avoid water straight from the faucet. Distilled water is the best for cleansing because of its inherent, magnetic properties and ability to absorb and suspend large quantities of toxins, flushing them from the body."

Water fasting is a complete contradiction to the high-octane rush of the North American lifestyle. Think of water fasting as a stripping down time, a period of profound inner reflection.
Due to a high metabolism, I find fasting on water difficult. Water fasting for me is crawling under the covers in warm flannel pajamas, entering deep into that inner place of prayer with a bible beside my bed. The outside world becomes obscure and far away. Everything moves in slow motion, yesterday's priorities, become strange and unimportant. Values systems make quantum shifts, what was impossibly urgent becomes frivolous. It's a deep dreamy state, an altered consciousness.

Water Fasting With a Slow Metabolism

Not everyone finds water fasting so. Those who have slower metabolisms find fasting on water a breeze. They walk for miles, exercise and generally feel energetic. But no matter what kind of metabolism you have, water fasting is a profound experience. Mystics down through the ages have discussed its spiritual qualities. Jesus fasted 40 day in the desert on water preparing for the confrontation with His arch-enemy Satan. We, like Jesus, need to be prepared for battle. Water fasting is a preparation to face the world with all its entrapments with a brand new perspective. It becomes a point of comparison, for in the state of water fasting, everything is stripped to its bare essentials and the things that really matter come to the forefront, like love, our connection with God, our goals and worthy dreams, what we are becoming and who we have become. Material possessions reduce in value when fasting. Relationship with God, and who we are in Christ, becomes the nourishment to a groaning body.

Humble Yourself

Our position with God is unchangeable, forgiven, perfect and pure, because of the work of Christ on the cross. It is our posture that must change. Surrounded with all our false props, we often become a proud independent people, where God becomes an appendage to our lifestyle, until trials hit, demanding us to go deeper. Fasting is a posture of humility, falling prostrate before God in silence. It is a time to remember just how dependent we are on Him. We are weak frail flesh and during water fasting you will taste your frailness. Think of water fasting as a Humility Maintenance Program. Don't be alarmed by the word humility, many of the most powerful people in history were the people of great humility. Moses was considered the meekest man on all the earth but also one of the greatest leaders we have ever seen. Pride and independence are weakness, a cover-up for spiritual famine within. Fasting strips away cover-ups and shows us our deep need for humility.

Water fasting and Detoxification

I have been on a thirty-day juice fast where I accomplished more, worked harder and experienced a greater sustaining energy than I did in a non-fasting state. When day 20 hit, it was like fireworks. My co-workers couldn't keep up with my zipping and zinging here and there, joyously whistling as I worked, every cell energized with fresh juices. I did have some detoxification dips, but they were not immobilizing and after an enema and an extra ration of carrot juice, I was fine. Not so with water fasting. For me water is one big long detoxification, the deep detox. The body is fully focused on burning up and clearing toxins. Blood is saturated with carcinogens, mucus, trans-fatty acids and other byproducts of the North American diet. I recommend juice fasting for those who have never fasted, unless you have a calling by God to water. And this is an important point, God leads people to water fasting even in the 21 century, and he will sustain you during a called fast. But you can also call yourself to a fast as a result of being sick and tired of your spiritual apathy.

Preparation for Water Fasting

Water fasting demands mental preparation. If you are fasting for the weekend, clear the calendar, the fast will be an event enough. The less pressure and responsibility you have during a water fast the better. Think of it a holiday away from the normal patterns of living. I also recommend the week before your fast, drink fresh juices and eat mostly raw fruits and vegetables to cleanse the body so that the detoxification during water fasting will be less aggressive.

Healing

Water fasting cleanses the body aggressively removing toxins rapidly and can be more beneficial than juice fasting in combating more persistent forms of cancer, cleansing the tissues more aggressively.

Water Fasting for Weight Loss

If you have a slow metabolism and are juice fasting, a few days on water will intensify the fast and assist with weight-loss. Dropping into water is something you can do during a day of little or no activity.

Tips

1. Avoid water straight from the faucet. Distilled water is the best for cleansing because of its inherent, magnetic properties and ability to absorb and suspend large quantities of toxins, flushing them from the body. The value of mineral water is misleading because the inorganic minerals are like huge boulders to the cellular membranes, making them impossible to assimilate. Plants are able to break down the minerals from the soils, allowing them to be completely absorbable to the cells of the body. The best water is distilled, secondly, spring or filtered. A Brita type filtration system is inexpensive and effective, but change the filter regularly.

2. There are no calories or nutritional value in water. On a water fast you have given your body no options but to turn to its internal stored energy for fuel. This can create a problem when you have spent years eating dirty fuel. Living exclusively on stored dirty fuel during a fast requires tremendous courage, strength and prayer. To ease into water fasting, we recommend juice fasting with periods of water fasting. For example 3 days on juice, 2 days on water, 5 days on juice, then 3 days on water. You can juice when you have to work and water fast on the weekend when you can rest. This is my preferred method of water fasting.

Water Fasting Concerns

It is not advisable to water fast under the conditions of hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, schizophrenia or a chronic heart condition—but God rules over hyperglycemia, diabetes, schizophrenia and chronic heart conditions.

Dizziness: Be careful of dizziness and black outs. The heart is resting as much as it can during water fasting. Before you stand up, take one or two deep breaths to get the heart pumping. If you start to back out, sit down or crouch down on one knee. This will immediately stop the dizziness.

For comprehensive information on the physical and spiritual aspects of fasting, check out the book: Fasting To Freedom

I found a lot of seasoned wisdom in this article. I may have found why I have been having difficulty after several days of water fasting (the water becomes simply unpalatable). I have so many toxins from chronic Lyme that the body is being overwhelmed. So, while still continuing, I may have to take it slower. Thanks and God bless.

This was a well informed article. I Know the Lord is calling me to fast He has before I was lead a full week with no food or waster but the Lord sustained me. I'm not a fan of fasting but when the Lord calls what you gonna do.

I love the fact that you outlined that fasting is a process of humbling yourself before the Lord, we come to a point where realize that it is not about what you can do for yourself ,rather its what God can do for you